OMAHA, Neb. (April 27, 2017) – Last night, Christine Collins of New Port Richey, Florida, was named the 2017 North American CAREGiverSM of the Year for her extraordinary compassion and lifelong dedication to serve others. Since 1997, Home Instead Senior Care selects one of its 60,000 North American professional caregivers for the prestigious award each year – identifying a CAREGiver who has exemplified exceptional compassion and care toward his/her senior clients.

"I have always been a caregiver – a trait, I feel, was derived from my Irish heritage," said Collins in her acceptance speech to the more than 1,600 attendees at the Home Instead annual convention in Omaha. "Our clients' families entrust their loved ones' well-being to us. This is truly a privilege, and I am so honored that they allow me to come into their lives at such a vulnerable time and help them along their journey."

After experiencing 9/11 from the perimeter of ground zero, Collins was made all too aware how precious life is. She left her 40-year career at a Manhattan investment banking company and headed to Florida to be closer to her mother, who was living with dementia. She served as her mother's caregiver until she died in 2010. It was then that she discovered Home Instead and has since worked as a Home Instead professional caregiver, never missing a single shift.

Home Instead Senior Care franchise network, the leading provider of home care services for older adults, employs more than 65,000 CAREGivers worldwide. Home Instead CAREGivers help seniors remain as independent as long as possible in the comfort of their own homes or in care communities as they age, providing services and companionship, from meal preparation and medication reminders, to personal care and Alzheimer's care.

"For Home Instead, there is no greater accolade than CAREGiver of the Year," said Lori Hogan, co-founder of Home Instead Senior Care. "CAREGivers are at the heart of our mission of enhancing the lives of seniors, and it is truly a blessing to be in the presence of people like Christine Collins. They give us all hope for the future of aging."

It came as no surprise to Stacey Murphy, co-owner of the Home Instead franchise in New Port Richey, when Christine was selected to receive this prestigious award.

"She treats her clients how she would treat her own mother," said Murphy. "There is truly no one else like her. She has a way of making the people around her feel special, important and loved."

In the face of all the praise and accolades Collins has received, she remains thankful to her senior clients for giving her an opportunity to serve others.

"Even though I'm in the latter part of my life, I feel like there's been a really big change in me, and I'm happy with it. Doing this work, I have discovered my niche in life. After my husband passed away, this gives me purpose again. There is no better award than that."

To learn about becoming a CAREGiver and joining the Home Instead family, visit www.homeinstead.com/jobs.

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ABOUT HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE

Founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care® network provides personalized care, support and education to help enhance the lives of aging adults and their families. Today this network is the world's leading provider of in-home care services for seniors, with more than 1,000 independently owned and operated franchises that are estimated to annually provide more than 50 million hours of care throughout the United States and 12 other countries. Local Home Instead Senior Care offices employ approximately 65,000 CAREGiversSM worldwide who provide basic support services that enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. The Home Instead Senior Care network strives to partner with each client and his or her family members to help meet that individual's needs. Services span the care continuum from providing companionship and personal care to specialized Alzheimer's care and hospice support. Also available are family caregiver education and support resources. At Home Instead Senior Care, it's relationship before task, while striving to provide superior quality service.